DD 093: Barbarians At the Gate by John Helyar & Bryan Burrough

📈 The largest corporate takeover of the 1980s

Join Donald & Iris as they dissect the legendary account of RJR Nabisco’s $25 billion LBO.

Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough & John Helyar is about Corporate Greed, High-Stakes Drama & Wall Street’s Wildest Deal.

Discover how ambition, ego, and reckless financial engineering collided in a bidding war that redefined modern capitalism.

🔥 Key Takeaways:
✅ The Rise of F. Ross Johnson: How RJR Nabisco’s CEO’s lavish lifestyle and hubris sparked Wall Street’s fiercest bidding war.
✅ Leveraged Buyout (LBO) Mechanics: Why debt-fueled takeovers became Wall Street’s weapon of choice-and how they hollowed out companies.
✅ Henry Kravis vs. Ross Johnson: KKR’s ruthless tactics vs. management’s miscalculations in a battle that exposed Wall Street’s “phoney junk bond crap”.
✅ War Symbolism: Why the authors framed the LBO as a modern siege, with “barbarians” exploiting greed and short-termism.
✅ Legacy of Excess: How RJR Nabisco’s collapse foreshadowed corporate America’s addiction to debt and shareholder primacy.

💼 Perfect For: Finance professionals, business history buffs, and anyone fascinated by the unchecked ambition that shaped modern Wall Street.

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💬 Comment: Can capitalism survive its own excesses?

(Inspired by Burrough & Helyar’s Pulitzer-worthy investigation into 1980s Wall Street madness.) 💸📉🏛️

Note: John Helyar co-authored the book with Bryan Burrough. Although the title often omits his name in casual references, credit is due to both journalists for this landmark work.